Fishing-tackle.



No. 725,428. PATBNTED APR. 14, 1903. T. J. EVANS.

FISHING TAOKLE.-

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 6, 1902.

H0 MODEL.

InderzZv UNITED STATE P TE T OFFICE.

THOMAS J. EVANS, 0E NEWPORT, KENTUCKY, ASSIGNOR or THREE- FOURTHS To MILES D. OSGOOD, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

FISHING-TACKLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters latent No. 725,428, dated April 1 1, 1903.

Application filed December 6, 1902. Serial No. 134,107. (No model.) Y

To all whom it may con/c077 Be it known that I, THOMAS J. EVANS, a citizen of'the United States of America, and a resident of Newport, in the county of Campbell and State ofKentucky, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fishing-Tackle, of which the followingis a specification.

Thisinvention relates to certain improvements in fishing-tackle, and has for its obbreaking of the line and loss of the hookand sinker in such cases are often avoided.

The invention consists in certain novel features of the construction, combination, and arrangement of the several parts of the improved automatic fish-catching sinker,whereby certain important advantages'are attained and the device is made simpler, cheaper, and otherwise better adapted and more convenient for use than various other similar devices heretofore employed, all as will be hereinafter fully set forth. i

The novel features of the invention will be carefully defined in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings,which serve to illustrate my improvements, Figure 1 is a somewhat diagraphic view showing the improved sinker as it appears when in use on a fish-line.

stand before a fish has bitten; and Fig. 3 is a View similar to Fig. 2, but showing the parts in the position in which they stand after a fish has bitten. Fig. 4 is a section taken lengthwise through the sliding weight of the sinker detached.

As seen in the views, .1 indicates the fish- Fig.2 is an enlarged view showing the improved sinker in side elevation, the} parts being in the position in which they or passage 8 extended in it through which the stem or shank 2 of the device is passed, there beingsufficient looseness to permit the weight portion to slidefreely upon the stem or shank in the operation of the device.

The weight portion 7 will be applied to the shank 'orstern 2, preferably before one of the loops or eyes 3 and 4 has been produced in the metal wire or strip of which said shank is formed, the said loops or eyes serving in the completed device to hold the weight securely in place upon the shank, as will be readily understood.

The weight portion 7 of the improved sinker is made tapered or rounded toward that end of the shank or stem at which the fish-line 1 is attached, and the opposite larger end of said weight portion is formed with an abrupt shoulder, and by this construction it will be seen that when the line is being drawn in by the fisherman the smaller rounded end 9 of the weight portion will slip and ride freely over stones, snags, and other obstructions,

while when the fish has bitten at the hook,

of the weight portion 7 will bind upon the ground or upon any stones which may be in the path of the device, so as to resist the effort of the fish to draw out the line and also to cause the hook 6 to strike into the mouth of the fish to securely hold him to the fish-line.

The straight central portion of the shank or stem 2 of the improved sinker isofconsiderably greater lengththan the weight portion 7 of the sinker, so that when the fish bites and draws upon the line the said straight portion of the stem or shank 2 will move through the weight portion 7 freely and per- Ioo mit the fish to draw sharply upon the line before the loop or eye 3 comes in engagement with the smaller end 9 of the weight portion and stops further movement of the stem or shank therethrough.

In the use of the improved sinker when the fish has bitten and has drawn upon the line, as above described, the contact of the loop or eye 3 with the smaller end 9 of the weight portion 7 will oifer a sharp and sudden resistance to further movement of the fish, so that the baited hook 6 will be caused to strike or sink deeply into the fishs mouth, whereby he will be securely held on the line; also, owing to the fact that the shank or stem is movable freely through the weight portion the fish, when nibbling at the baited hook, are given confidence that the baitis free and loose and will more readily seize the bait than where the bait is held by the sinker against such free movement. I

\Vhen the fish-line provided with my improved sinker has been cast and drawn taut, the outer loop or eye 4 on the shank or stem 2 will be in contact with the larger outer end of the weight portion 7, and by simply drawing upon the line from time to time the fisherman may readily tell whether his bait is right or not, since should a fish nibble at the bait he would tend to draw the stem or shank 2 endwise through the weight portion and the draft upon the line would bring the outer loop or eye 4 up into contact with the sinker with a shock which could be readily felt by the fisherman.

When the line is being drawn in should the larger weight portion 7 of the sinker catch upon or under a rock or snag it is evident that the projecting forward end of the stem or shank 2 will act as a lever to assist in dislodging said weight portion, so that the liability to loss of the sinker and hook in cases of this kind is considerably lessened.

From the above description of my invention it will be seen that the improved sinker constructed in accordance therewith is of an extremely simple and inexpensive nature and is especially well adapted for use, since it not only dispenses with great care and skill on the part of the fisherman by automatically hooking the fish when the bait has been seized and drawn upon by the fish, but also affords material assistance in disengaging the line from rocks and other obstructions, and it will also be obvious from the above description that the device is capable of some modification without material departure from the principles and spirit of the invention, and for this reason I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to the precise form and arrangement of the several parts of the device as herein set forth.

Having thus described my invention, I claim 1. In fishing-tackle, a sinker comprisinga stem or shank formed from a strip or piece of metal in elongated form and provided at. its ends with enlargements and a weight portion loosely held for sliding movement along the length of said stem or shank between said enlargements, substantially as set forth.

2. In fishing-tackle, a sinker comprising a stem or shank formed from a strip or piece of metal in elongated form and provided at its ends with closed loops or eyes adapted for connection with a fish-line and with a hookcarrying-line section, and a weight portion loosely held for sliding movement along the length of said stem or shank between said eyes or loops, substantially as set forth.

3. In fishing-tackle, a sinker comprising a stem or shank formed from a strip or piece of metal in elongated form and provided at its ends with enlargements and a weight portion loosely held for sliding movement along the length of said stem or shank and having one end tapered or rounded, substantially as set forth.

4. In fishing-tackle, a sinker comprising a stem or shank formed from a strip or piece of metal in elongated form and provided at its ends with enlargements and a weight portion loosely held for sliding movement along the length of said stem or shank and having one end tapered or rounded and adapted for contact with the enlargement at one end of the strip and its other end provided with a shoulder adapted for engagement with the enlargement at the other'end of the shank, substantially as set forth.

Signed at Cincinnati, Ohio, this 26th day of November, 1902.

THOMAS J. EVANS. Witnesses:

MILES D. Oscoon, JOHN ELIAS J ONES. 

